We’re getting closer every day to a password-free future. Less than two years after Apple launched passkeys with iOS 16 and macOS 13, more and more companies continue adding support. Following in the footsteps of Amazon and Nintendo, among others, today Microsoft announced that passkey support is rolling out for all its consumer accounts across Apple platforms, Windows, and Google products.

Users of Word, Excel, and the host of other popular products requiring Microsoft sign-in will be able to authenticate using simple biometric tools like Face ID or Touch ID.

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Macworld

The Studio Display is more than a pretty monitor—it’s also loaded with high-end features you won’t find anywhere else, including a FaceTime camera, spatial audio, and three built-in USB-C ports. All that comes at a price, but today it’s cheaper than it’s ever been: Amazon is selling the 27-inch Apple Studio Display for $1,300, a savings of $299 and the best price we’ve ever seen.

The Studio Display is a fantastic monitor with a 5K Retina display sporting 600 nits of brightness, True Tone, and a P3 wide color gamut. Inside its thin bezels, you’ll find a built-in 12MP ultra-wide camera with Center Stage support, as well as a six-speaker...

Today, Arc Search, the iOS app from the Browser Company that debuted earlier this year, has been updated with three key feature improvements: widgets for your Home screen, Voice Search that can be triggered from an iPhone’s Action button, and handy new tab controls for controlling page zoom and requesting a desktop site.

All of these added conveniences aim to take the AI-focused search and web browsing tool to a new place of frequent engagement for users.

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Earlier this week, the European Commission announced that iPadOS is now designated as a gatekeeper platform in the European Union, just like the iPhone and the App Store.

In a new developer announcement today, Apple acknowledged this change and confirmed it will bring features like alternative app marketplaces, third-party browser engines, and more to the iPad in the EU later this fall.

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In February this year, we learned that after more than a decade of work, Project Titan – the Apple Car effort was officially canceled. Naturally, details have been sparse around the topic as it was a secret project. But today an interesting detail has surfaced about how Apple is dismantling the project.

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Anyone following Apple supply chain reports knows that the company has been working toward adopting OLED displays on the iPad Pro for quite some time. Though the iPhone has featured an OLED display since the 2017 iPhone X, bringing the technology to the iPad lineup has proven difficult.

Delays seem to finally be reaching their end, however, as this new display technology should see its debut at the May 7 Apple event. A new report details how exactly the 2024 iPad Pro has produced fresh challenges for suppliers, and another highlights OLED supplier changes coming to the iPhone 16.

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Apple Watch AFib History Feature Gets FDA Nod as an MDDT

The Internet is flooded with instances wherein Apple Watch has helped save lives. Features such as Emergency SOS, Heart rate monitor, VO2Max, and ECG can be saviours. Now, the FDA has given the green signal to Apple Watch’s atrial fibrillation (AFib) history feature under MDDT (Medical Device Development Tool). Henceforth, medical professionals can rely on […]

This post Apple Watch AFib History Feature Gets FDA Nod as an MDDT appeared first on The Mac Observer

The Apple Watch AFib feature – which detects abnormal heartbeat patterns indicative of atrial fibrillation – has received a new tick of approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Doctors have already credited the health feature with saving lives.

While the FDA had previously granted clearance for AFib detection, that was a limited endorsement …

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A court is being asked to decide whether or not Meta has a legal obligation to allow the use of Unfollow Everything – a browser tool which effectively empties your Facebook feed.

The idea behind the tool is that instead of being sucked into an effectively endless feed of posts from every friend, group, and page you have ever followed, you get to proactively choose the posts you read …

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Macworld

At a glanceExpert's Rating
Pros

• Fast charging times
• Flat design
• Includes transport bag and cable

Cons

• Difficult to read display
• No display in watts

Our Verdict

The flat design of the Baseus Blade HD Laptop Power Bank is practical for stowing in a bag or backpack. With its four connectors, it offers enough connection options, and the charging times are very good.

Price When Reviewed

$129.99

Best Prices Today: Baseus Laptop Powerbank PD 100W 20000mAh

Retailer

Price

$99.99

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Songs from UMG artists are now again available to TikTok creators, after a dispute over royalty payments and AI policies was resolved.

This has seen the return of a lengthy list of artists, including Bad Bunny, Sting, The Weeknd, Alicia Keys, Drake, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Rosalía, Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Adele, U2, Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Coldplay, Bob Dylan, and Post Malone …

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The entries have been tallied, there were some incredible apps submitted, and Apple has profiled three of its “Distinguished Winners” of its 2024 Swift Student Challenge, their apps covering care, extreme sports, and breathing exercises. The company launched its 2024 Swift Student Challenge in February and selected 350 winners from their entries in March. 50 […]

Source

If you were hoping for a new generation of the Apple Watch Ultra with a significant number of amazing new features you may be let down. Per Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple seems likely to release a next-gen Apple Watch Ultra this year, but the new model will have “almost no” hardware upgrades […]

Source

Search in the Notes App Doesn’t Work? Here’s How To Fix It

As someone who uses the Notes app to write down ideas, to-do lists, personal information, and journal entries, I understand how alarming search function glitches feel. Don’t worry—your files are still on iCloud. The problem is that your local and recent drafts likely failed to sync. To help you find your urgent notes fast, let’s […]

This post Search in the Notes App Doesn’t Work? Here’s How To Fix It appeared first on The Mac Observer

Macworld

Everybody needs cloud storage these days, but nobody likes paying monthly subscription fees. You like it even less when you run out of storage and suddenly have to pay even more per month.

But what if you could pay once for enough storage to last a lifetime? Now, you can since lifetime access to Koofr Cloud Storage’s 1TB plan is only $129.97 using coupon code: KOOFR through May 5 at 11:59 PM Pacific. (reg. $810) through May 5.

Koofr is an intuitive cloud storage platform that...

Anthropic has released its Claude AI chatbot on the App Store, bringing the company's ChatGPT competitor to the masses. Compared to OpenAI's chatbot, Claude is built with a focus on reducing harmful outputs and promoting safety, with a goal of making interactions more reliable and ethically aware. You can give it a try here. 9to5Mac reports: Anthropic highlights three launch features for Claude on iPhone:

Seamless syncing with web chats: Pick up where you left off across devices.
Vision capabilities: Use photos from your library, take new photos, or upload files so you can have real-time image analysis, contextual understanding, and mobile-centric use cases on the go.
Open access: Users across all plans, including Pro and Team, can download the app free of charge.

The app is also capable of analyzing things that you show it like objects, images, and your environment.

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I’m someone who likes to replace my devices often, always getting the latest and greatest of what Apple produces. One glaring exception has been the iPad. I used to buy nearly every new generation, a trend that continued after I made the iPad my primary computer. But for nearly six years, I’ve been using the 2018 iPad Pro—a shockingly long time by my standards. And despite several new models releasing in recent years, I’ve never been enticed enough to upgrade.

Why? Because the 2018 model has worked remarkably well. Next week though, my new iPad drought will finally come to an end. Based on what’s widely expected in the 2024 iPad Pro—whether it includes an M4 chip or not—I’m eagerly ready to upgrade. And I suspect a lot of 2018 owners plan to do the same. Let me explain.

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Incident began at 2024-04-30 00:00 (times are in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)).

Gmail customers are currently unable to send unsigned messages to Yahoo.

Our engineering team continues to investigate.

Customer messages sent to Yahoo/AOL recipients may be bounced with the error "This mail has been blocked because the sender is unauthenticated. Yahoo requires all senders to authenticate with either SPF or DKIM."
If you're seeing this error message, please set up SPF (https://support.google.com/a/answer/33786) or DKIM (https://support.google.com/a/answer/174124) for your sending domain(s). For DKIM, you should set up a record for your own sending domain. You should not rely on the default DKIM key applied by Google (*.gappssmtp.com) to avoid this error.

Note that SPF and DKIM records may take some time...

LG Becomes First To Support Dolby Atmos With Apple Music Natively

LG has become the first TV maker to announce native support for Dolby Atmos in the Apple Music app on its TVs without needing an extra Apple TV box, as first reported by FlatpanelsHD. The support for Dolby Atmos in the Apple Music app comes via a software update. The publication confirmed that the support was […]

This post LG Becomes First To Support Dolby Atmos With Apple Music Natively appeared first on The Mac Observer

Macworld

Whether you have a Mac mini or a MacBook, a good mouse is always an important piece of any setup. And today’s deal gets you one that will look incredible on your desk: Amazon is selling a SteelSeries Prime+ Esports FPS 18K CPI wired optical mouse with five programmable buttons and nifty RGB lighting for $23, a savings of $57 on the MSRP and well below the usual price.

The mouse is ultra-lightweight with an ergonomic “Esport Pro” design that was developed in collaboration with “over 100 pros for sustained comfort and agility in the most demanding levels of FPS gameplay.” But even if you’re not a gamer you’ll appreciate its minimal aesthetic and subtle RGB lighting...

Following a report that iPhone activation market share has hit a new low, CIRP released its newest study today. The data shows which iPhone models are the most popular in the US for Q1 2024 and how the iPhone 15 lineup is being adopted compared to the iPhone 14 devices and earlier.

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Enlarge / Part of the cover illustration from "The Applesoft Tutorial" BASIC manual that shipped with the Apple II computer starting in 1981. (credit: Apple, Inc.)

Sixty years ago, on May 1, 1964, at 4 am in the morning, a quiet revolution in computing began at Dartmouth College. That's when mathematicians John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz successfully ran the first program written in their newly developed BASIC (Beginner's All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) programming language on the college's General Electric GE-225 mainframe.

Little did they know that their creation would go on to democratize computing and inspire generations of programmers over the next six decades.

What is BASIC?

In its most...

Apple Vision Pro Might Hit Shelves in Japan Very Soon

Apple Vision Pro has been available in U.S. markets for quite some time. Now, it seems Cupertino’s top-dollar mixed-reality headsets might be gearing up for releases in other regions, with initial focus on key markets such as China and Japan. According to Macotakara, a Japanese website, Apple Vision Pro accessories were spotted on the online retailer Line […]

This post Apple Vision Pro Might Hit Shelves in Japan Very Soon appeared first on The Mac Observer

Apple just published a new Press Release:

• Meet three Swift Student Challenge winners changing the future through coding
  

Enlarge (credit: Apple)

If you've ever sent an iPhone in for repair, you might be familiar with the dance Apple asks you to do if your device still powers on: back up your data, then either erase the phone or disable the Find My feature so your phone can easily be serviced (or, if it's being exchanged for a new one, refurbished and resold). If you're also using the Stolen Device Protection and Security Delay feature introduced in iOS 17.3, this can be a pain, since you need to wait a full hour to turn Find My off after you make the request.

It looks like Apple...

Apple Watch Ultra 3 May Launch This Year, But With Little Hardware Upgrade

When Apple was gearing up to announce M3 MacBook Pros and iMacs last year, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo then reported that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 wouldn’t come in 2024. But the tune has changed, as he now believes there will be an Apple Watch Ultra 3 in 2024 after all.  Interestingly, Kuo’s words can be given weight considering his track record with such developments. […]

This post Apple Watch Ultra 3 May Launch This Year, But With Little Hardware Upgrade appeared first on The Mac Observer

Ahead of WWDC 2024 kicking off in June, Apple has officially announced its Swift Student Challenge winners. 350 students from around the world have won with 50 selected as “Distinguished Winners” that will be heading to Apple Park for WWDC. Along with that, Apple is celebrating 3 winners with detailed profiles about their top-tier app ideas.

more…

Macworld

With less than a week to go until the Let Loose event on May 7, Apple is doing its best to build hype with a series of enigmatic promotional messages. In particular, the phrase “a different kind of Apple Event” has prompted widespread speculation about what we’re going to hear about, and how it’s going to be presented.

On social media, as spotted by The Apple Post, a number of sponsored posts have promoted the event. “We’re drafting up something special for you,” the messages read in some European users’ feeds. “Join us on 7 May at 3pm on apple.com for a different kind of Apple Event.”

...

iOS 17.5’s Repair State Feature Doesn’t Need Turning Off Find My During Service

One of the mandatory steps before handing out your iPhone for repair is to turn off the Find My and Activation locks. This allows service center executives to flash the iPhone during the repair. Now, Apple has added a new ‘Repair State’ for all the devices running iOS 17.5 beta. Once activated, the Activation Lock […]

This post iOS 17.5’s Repair State Feature Doesn’t Need Turning Off Find My During Service appeared first on The Mac Observer

Macworld

The iPad, remember that? It’s been a minute since Apple unveiled a new tablet–about 807,690 minutes, to be a bit more precise–but all indications point to brand new models being rolled out as part of an Apple keynote next week, on May 7.

A lot has happened in the intervening time. Apple released iPadOS 17, the Apple Vision Pro was announced and shipped, and the M2 processors have given way to the M3–with the promise of more soon. Throughout all of that, the iPad Pro and 10th-generation iPad have...

Macworld

After months of false starts, it looks like we’re finally going to get new iPads in May! There hasn’t been a new iPad released since 2022, and iPad sales are suffering for it, but the new models coming in May could actually bring some significant new changes and maybe even a surprise or two.

It’s really odd for Apple to release new hardware in May, much less hold an event for it, but that’s exactly what’s happening on May 7 with the “Let Loose” event. That will make a pretty exciting lead-up to WWDC, which begins on June 10.

New iPads! Finally!

On May 7, Apple is holding an event with the tagline “Let Loose.” Given that one of the promotional images is an Apple logo with a hand holding an Apple Pencil...

Apple has apparently begun working on addressing a bug wherein the iOS operating system doesn’t properly play alarm sounds as scheduled. Following a number of user complaints, the company has confirmed it’s aware of the issue and is working on a fix. Apple confirmed the problem to the Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern on Tuesday […]

Source

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

In this episode of Apple @ Work, I talk with Steve Won from 1Password about their annual report: Security and...

The stock head unit with wired CarPlay in my 2017 Honda Civic EX recently gave up the ghost. The most affordable solution was from a brand called JOYING. It’s a 9-inch display with wireless CarPlay, a volume knob, and a design made for 10th-gen Honda Civics. It retails well below $500 and is worth every penny.

more…

Macworld

At a glanceExpert's Rating
Pros

• Easy to set up and use
• Good security features
• Decent free tier

Cons

• Password import from Keychain only via a Mac
• Best features are on paid tier

Our Verdict

NordPass is a solid and easy to use password manager with plenty of useful features.

Price When Reviewed

Free 30-day trial; From $1.49 per month, $71.76 a year (currently $35.76 for two year)

Best Prices Today: NordPass

Retailer

Price

NordPass (annually)

$71.76

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As about a third of the 2024 Major League Soccer season has now concluded, Apple is dropping the price of the MLS Season Pass package in kind.

The season subscription is now sold for $69, down 30% compared to its $99 price at the start of the season. For Apple TV+ subscribers, the pass is now just $59.

more…

Apple on Tuesday launched the new family of Beats Solo wireless headphones. While the Beats Solo 4 are available for pre-order from today, the company also announced new Beats Solo Buds wireless earbuds. With a price range of $79 and 18 hours of battery life, Beats Solo Buds already sound like a better deal than the old .

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Enlarge / Assassin's Creed Mirage returned to the earlier games' focus on stealth assassinations in a historical urban environment. (credit: Ubisoft)

Apple has spent the last year trying to convince gamers that they can get a console-like, triple-A experience on the latest iPhones. The newest test of that promise will be Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Mirage, which now has a release date and pricing information.

Mirage will land on compatible iPhones—the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max—on June 6, according to Ubisoft (though the App Store listing says June 10.) That coincides pretty closely with Apple's annual developer conference, so we'd expect it to...

9to5Mac is supported by Incogni: Stop robocalls, spam emails, stalkers, fraud, and more with Incogni. Exclusive discount for 9to5Mac readers: Use the code Apple55 at checkout to get 55% off the annual plan.

A new report from TechCrunch today claims that TikTok might be bypassing Apple’s App Store in-app purchase system. The report says that TikTok is “presenting some of its users with a link to a website” to purchase coins,...

Apple Rolls Out visionOS 1.2 Beta 4 to Developers

Apple today rolled out the fourth round of beta update for the upcoming visionOS 1.2 to developers, closely following the third beta update released about a week ago. visionOS 1.2 Beta 4 bears the build number, 21O5580a, up from the third beta’s 21O5570d. Although rumors suggest Apple might improve Personas, EyeSight, and other key features in the final release of visionOS […]

This post Apple Rolls Out visionOS 1.2 Beta 4 to Developers appeared first on The Mac Observer

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Is Finally Coming to iPhones and iPads in June

When Apple announced new iPhones last year during the “Wonderlust” event, a.k.a the iPhone 15 launch event, one of the show’s major highlights was the A17 Pro chip and its ability to run AAA games. Since then, we have seen several AAA games, such as Resident Evil Village and Death Stranding Director’s Cut, debut on the iPhone 15 Pro models, thanks to […]

This post Assassin’s Creed Mirage Is Finally Coming to iPhones and iPads in June appeared first on The Mac Observer

Apple Releases Fourth Betas of iOS 17.5, iPadOS 17.5 and macOS Sonoma 14.5 To Developers

Apple today released the fourth round of developer betas for iOS 17.5, iPadOS 17.5, and macOS Sonoma 14.5, following closely on the heels of the third beta updates, which were released about a week ago. The fourth betas for iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 bear the build number, 21F5073b, up from the third betas’ 21F5063f. Meanwhile, macOS Sonoma 14.5 […]

This post Apple Releases Fourth Betas of iOS 17.5, iPadOS 17.5 and macOS Sonoma 14.5 To Developers appeared first on The Mac Observer

As you may know by now, Apple will be holding a special event on May 7 to announce new iPads. The event will be pre-recorded just like other Apple events. However, the company is now promoting its upcoming keynote as a “different kind of Apple Event.”

more…

Beats Solo 4, Solo Buds Officially Debut With Improved Battery Life, Better Sound Quality

Apple sub-brand Beats today took wraps off its latest Solo 4 headphones and debuted its first TWS pair, Solo Buds. The new wireless headphones unsurprisingly come at attractive prices with quite a few notable features.  As usual, you can easily connect newly launched headphones to both iPhone and Android. Plus, they work seamlessly across all your devices, […]

This post Beats Solo 4, Solo Buds Officially Debut With Improved Battery Life, Better Sound Quality appeared first on The Mac Observer...

Macworld

It’s been a month since the release of iOS 17.4, which introduced a few minor tweaks (like new emojis) for all users, but it has a massive change to app distribution for those in the European Union. In compliance with the Digital Markets Act, that version allowed alternate app stores, changed policies and terms around apps, browsers that use their own engines, and more.

Typically, a new iOS version is followed almost immediately by a beta of the next point release, so the month-long absence of any iOS beta is a strange occurrence. We expect the beta to continue for at least a few weeks; the final release of iOS 17.5 might not even come until May.

Update April 30: Apple has released the fourth beta of iOS 17.5. We can probably expect the final release next week, when...

The weekly iOS 17.5 beta train continues today with the fourth developer release. Apple is also testing macOS Sonoma 14.5, visionOS 1.2, watchOS 10.5, tvOS 17.5, and HomePod 17.5.

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